1. Jordan is going to have to do a biography report this Spring. My immediate first thought: she’s going to want to choose Hannah Montana. It’ll be named “A Miley Cyrus Biography: Twerking for Tweens.”

2. Never go to Costco on a Friday at lunch time. I know this, yet my brain refuses to allow me to get there before 11am.

3. When you’re at Costco at 11am on a Friday, be sure to leave your cart in the center of the major throughway so you can go peruse the sausage samples. I’ll wait for you, no problem.

4. I’m excited that Tuesday will be “after Labor Day” because that means Watch What Happens Live will be back on. I miss my Andy!

5. Big Bang Theory is one of the best shows EVER. If you’ve never watched it, start.

6. It’s September, one of my favorite months. And since we are officially out of August I can now shove pumpkin in your face an average of once a week until November 30. So there.

Toffee Pumpkin Gooey Bars are an easy gooey bar recipe full of pumpkin, spice, and toffee! It’s the perfect dessert to get you in the fall mood.

You knew it was only a matter of time before I made Pumpkin Gooey Bars right? I mean, the wild success of my Funfetti Gooey Bars (I so did not see that one coming) has made it so that I will make every flavor of Gooey Bar I possibly can.

These are Fall in a bite, and I want it to be Fall so bad I ate lots of bites in case it would make it be here sooner. (Seriously, still forecast 90s this week. I’m so over it.)

As usual, these start with a cake mix. Instead of using butter, I used pumpkin puree. The bars are layered with sweetened condensed milk, toffee bits, and pecans which makes these soft and gooey bars have a bit of crunch.

They bake up seriously gooey. You can tell that from the photos, and in this case gooey = good.

Okay, that’s it. I’m headed to the freezer where I hid the rest of these bars.

What random is happening in your life right now?

Toffee Pumpkin Gooey Bars

Yield:12 bars

Toffee Pumpkin Gooey Bars – an easy gooey bar recipe that starts with a cake mix and has all the flavors of pumpkin and spice and TOFFEE!

Press half the batter into the prepared pan. I found it easier to spray my hands with cooking spray before pressing so the batter wouldn’t stick to my hands.

Sprinkle pecans and toffee bits over the top of the bottom layer. Pour sweetened condensed milk over evenly over the nuts and toffee bits. Tip: spray your measuring cup with cooking spray, then pour the sweetened condensed milk into the cup. It will pour out easier. Note: you can transfer any leftover milk to a small sealable container and freeze until you need it again.

Drop spoonfuls of the remaining dough evenly over the top of the bars. Spray your hands again and press gently to evenly cover.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until they are golden around the edges. Cool completely before slicing. (I often refrigerate them for a few hours before cutting.)

Yum, these do look wonderful. Regarding #3 above, next time someone walks more than a few steps away from their cart…move it far away and then stand back and watch them search for it!! And as for #7, there is no reason to stop making pumpkin on 11/30. Pumpkin is still good for Christmas pies so maybe 12/31.. 🙂

I can’t get enough pumpkin! And you are so right about Costco!!! I was there this past Friday at 11:00 am, and coming out of a side aisle into a main aisle was like waiting to make a right turn into bumper-to-bumper traffic, and there was even a long line to leave the store (and I saw people cutting in front of others, just like in traffic!). Thanks for the tip about Sam’s. I may have missed your post, but Jordan says you make the best blueberry muffins in the world, and I just bought a giant container of blueberries at Costco, so are you sharing that recipe?

Umm, yes. Since when it cloudy and 90° weather in September okay?? Seriously Sacramento, get with the program!

And yes, Big Bang Theory is my favorite show ever! I know I’ve mentioned this to you before… We’re onto season 4 (or is it 5?), and we watch at least 2 episodes every night. SO addicting! But not as much as your pumpkin gooey bars, I’m sure. 🙂

You’re moving right along! By the end of that season, I had started talking to the characters and giving them advice, which they never seemed to take. Oh, the problems with TV show attachments! 😉 And you’re welcome! It’s so hard to be featured on the first page, let alone the first row!! You’re so talented Dorothy!

It makes sense that these would be the best gooey bars so far, because each one you make is better than the next! I think you should keep going….strive for nirvana (if we aren’t there yet). Gooey bar development gives you lots of posts and we get lots of delicious! I love the idea of “Fall in a bite!”

A few reasons, actually. One, I like thicker bars. And for things that use a mix (like the gooey bars) unless I use two mixes, they’re not going to be as thick as I’d like them. And also, I feel like a 9×9 size is more manageable for my family. There are only 3 of us! 🙂

I am a bit confused on this… do I have to prepare the yellow cake mix as I would when making a yellow cake or do I just add the cake mix powder to the above ingredients? Thanks so much for sharing… so gonna make this today! =)

The batter will literally stick to your fingers unless you spray down the entire batter with cooking spray Other than that, it’s all good.
They’re baking in the oven as we speak. Hoping they turn out good! 🙂

You can make the recipe only doubling the sweetened condensed milk, white chips and toffee bits, but they will be thinner. (The original gooey cake bar recipes uses one cake mix for a 9×13″ pan.) I like my bars thick, so if you do that, you can double it all. It will affect baking time however!

This recipe sounds incredible (and as an added bonus uses up my leftover condensed milk & pumpkin). I have a question though, I’m not a fan of nuts in my desserts. Can I sub something? Leave them out? Suggestions??? Thanks!

Hi Dorothy, I recently had a wonderful desert that i feel in love with. it was a sweet potato filling in on top a crust that was made out of yellow butter cake mix. it taste just like grahm cracker except it was a soft crust. i have tried to make it several times i never seem to get the crust right. you would never imagine that the crust was made from cake mix. can you tell me how to get that same texture and taste. my crust rises and taste to cakie.

I just made these and mine came out a little crusty on top and not smooth. I smoothed the top out with my fingers as much as I could, thinking that the oven would take care of the rest but the dough actually held it’s shape and had crusty little peaks. What did I do wrong ?

I’m not sure exactly Charlene. What brand of pumpkin did you use? Possibly the mixture needed a little more moisture. Do you have an oven thermometer? Possibly your oven is running a little hotter than normal? Once they cool it may set down a bit. I’m sure they’ll still taste good! If you’re worried about how the top looks you could add a little powdered sugar/milk glaze or sprinkle with toffee bits if it’s still hot.

These are so good! More cake like thank I was expecting and the dough was a pain to work with cause so sticky but for sure was worth it! I’m not a big fan of toffee but these are really good! I love the pumpkin!